France fell 2-0 to Sweden in their final Group D match in Kiev, bringing an end to their proud 23-game unbeaten run and sending them into a quarter-final with holders and reigning world champions Spain on Saturday.

Striker Olivier Giroud told reporters after Tuesday’s loss to the Swedes that there had been “a shouting match” in the French changing room and Blanc did not dispute his version of events. “When there’s a victory, you accept things more and you’re happier,” he told journalists at a press conference in Donetsk.